MacLeod frees Rhapsody E11 7a

12.04.2006 by

Scottish Dave MacLeod has climbed the direct finish to Requiem at Dumbarton Rock, Scotland, calling the climb Rhapsody and grading the route E11 7a. This makes it a strong contender for one of the hardest trad pitches in the world.

Dave MacLeod, undoubtedly one of Britain's most complete climbers, has just climbed the direct finish to Requiem, an E8 6b at Dumbarton Rock, Scotland. As all British climbers well know, the route in question was first ascended in 1983 by Scotland's Dave Cuthbertson and at the time was justly hailed as a landmark achievement.

23 years later MacLeod has now straightened the line out by climbing the headwall direct instead of finishing off right. He placed all the gear on lead and fell off the crux 9 times prior to the successful ascent - 20 meters onto a RP, the smallest of nuts on the market! He has put forward an incredible E11 7a for his "Rhapsody" which, needless to say, is obviously a strong contender for one of the hardest trad pitches in the world. "Rhapsody" is the first route to break the legendary E10 barrier...

After his ascent the 27 year old Scotsman understandably confided to us "I now want to have a small break!" His succinct report published below offers some insight into the difficulty and the seriousness of the route: "I have named the route Rhapsody and graded it E11 7a, the climbing is about F8c standard with a very long fall and big swing in to hit the rock if you fail. I injured myself badly on some of my failed attempts. As far as I know there arent other traditional routes around with this combination of danger and high difficulty." With F8c, font 8b and E10 repeats, no doubt something serious lies behind these words...